Knitting machine



Nov. 28, 1950 s. SAFTLAS KNITTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 23, 1946 INVENTOR div/10:4 64272 48 ATTO EYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR J/muzz 64mm;

ATTOR EYS Nov. 28, 1950 Flled July 23, 1946 Patented Nov. 28, 1950 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KNITTING MACHINE Samuel Saftlas, Newark, N. J Application July 23, 1946, Serial.No..685;705;

4 Claims.

satisfactory method or means for accomplishing has been devised.

Providing printed designs on knit fabrics presents many difficulties inherent in the nature of knit fabrics. Knit fabrics have a characteristic appearance due1 to their stitch formations and designs applied to such, material by ordinary printing methods present a displeasing eilect due in large measure to the lack of conformity of the printed designs to the particular stitch formation of the fabric.

It is the principal object of my invention to overcome these difliculties and1 provide a method of :and means for producing a printed knit fabric in which the printed areas conform sufiiciently close to the stitch formations so that the resulting design appears as a unitary part of the fabric; uniformly applied and giving an appearance in keeping with the knit character of the fabric.

Another object is to provide a novel and im? proved printed knit fabric.

Other and further objectslresiding in the detailsof the method and apparatus will be made apparent in the following specification andclaims;

Oneieature of the invention is the application of the color, to the fabric while the fabric is under a substantially uniform surface tension, a second and essential feature is the provision of means actuated by the movement of the fabric which conforms the movement of the fabric to the movement of the printing roll, all as set forth in detail hereafter.

In-the accompanying drawings which diagrammatically disclose the application of my invention to circular knitting machines,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan View showing the invention embodied in a machine of the stationary cylinder type; a

Fig. 2;is a. sectional view substantially online 2: o F 1;

Fig. 3. is a fragmentary elevational view look- .ing from the right of Fig. 2;

l ig. 4 isa diagrammatic view. illustrating the J} 1210.11 lot the coordinating r0111;

2 Fi 5 is, a vertical sectional view showing: the

rotary cylinder type; and

invention embodied in aknitting machine of the Fig. 6. is a sectional view substantially on line 6-6; of Fig. 5.

In the drawings. only such parts of. the k it? ting machines are shown as are necessary to,

an understanding of the invention and the relative size and proportions .of the parts have been exaggerated or diminished as. convenience and clearness of disclosure required-. For :ex.

ample, the relative diameter of the knittingcylinders. are substantially greater in actual practice than is indicated in thedrawings.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and' B, astationary knitting cylinder, indicated. at in, is supported by a table or frame member- II to which the cylinder is secured as by screws l2. The tubular body of knitted fabric, passing downwardly through the cylinder, is indicated at It. The fabric goes through fabric advancingrollss (Fig. 1),

to a take up roll, not shown. Thefabric as it leaves the knitting instrumentalities is under tension and is in a stretched condition with the stitches partially opened; At a point sulfli ciently close to the top of the cylinder so that the fabric is not completely relaxed and the stitches are not completely closed'l"mount one or more printing units [4, each comprising a printing roll l5 and an associated coordinating disc l6. As shown these printing units act on the outer surface of the, fabric but. they could be supported to engage theinnersurface; or both surfaces could be printed, if desired. The roll [5 and disc l6 are mounted on a common shaft I? so that. the disc will drive the roll aslater 26 mounted on table H at any suitable distance from the knitting cylinder. When different colors are to be supplied to diflerentuprinting units the tank 25, may be partitioned or separatesupply. tanks used. The. reservoirs 20 are provided with covers 21 formed-with an opening 28 through which therolls l5 contactsthecolor, the

covers 27 are formedwith recesses129 in which Asshown, the supply tank 25 is. annular in form and is supportednon brackets.

the discs [6 rotate so that no color is taken up by the discs.

As perhaps best shown in Fig. 4, the periphery of each coordinating disc is is formed with a plurality of spaced teeth 38, the spacing being such that the teeth 35 enter and follow a linear series of stitch loops (it. Since the fabric engages the disc over a small arc, several teeth are in engagement with a succession of loops at all times and the disc follows along a vertical wale of the fabric. The printing roll 15, which is mounted closely adjacent the disc [6, will also print along a wale since the disc is maintains a local control of the fabric at the point where the color is applied. Where a number of printing units are closely spaced around the cylinder the multiplicity of control points increases the accuracy of the color applications as a whole.

A single coordinating disc is may control two adjacent printing rolls i as indicated at the units A in Fig. 1, or where the type of stitch or character of thread render control difficult two coordinating discs may be used one at each side of a single printing roll as indicated at unit B in Fig. 1. The conditions permitting or making desirable one or the other of the several disc arrangements may be local as in rib knit fabrics or may prevail over the fabric as a whole. To increase the overall accuracy of the printing operation, independent discs it may be positioned as at C between the printing units. I 7

As best shown in Fig. 3 the diameter of the printing surface of roll i5 is less than thediameter of the disc it at the point of the teeth 30 but it is greater than the diameter at the bottom of the spaces between the teeth, so that the printing roll exerts a pressure on the fabric adequate to transfer the color without the disc losing control of the fabric. The engagement of the teeth 39 in the stitches of the downwardly moving fabric rotates the disc to drive the printing roll without substantial slippage between the printing roll and fabric, and the color is applied to the fabric in a predetermined relation to the linear series of stitches engaged by the'teeth of the disc.

The faces of the printing rolls may be of a width to color one or more wales and the roll surface may be continuous to apply a continuous strip of color or the surface may be broken to give a dot, dash or other desired effect.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown myinvention applied to a rotary cylinder type of machine. In this type of machine the knitting cylinder, indicated at 35, is constantly rotated as by a pinion 36 which meshes with a ring gear 3'! formed on an annular member 38 to which the cylinder is secured as by screws 3.9. The tubular fabric 4!] descending through the cylinder rotates with the latter and as shown is wound up on a take up roll ii mounted on a rotary table 62 driven by a pinion 43 meshing with a ring gear id secured to the under side of the table. A gear 45 on the shaft it of pinion 35, and a gear ll on the shaft 48 of pinion 43 both mesh with a driving gear so so that the cylinder 35 and windup roll 4i rotate in synchronism. The windup roll i! is supported in bearing members 5% which also support rolls 5% engaging opposite sides of the fabric tube. The windup roll ii may be driven by an electric motor '52 through gearing generally indicated at 53, the lead for the motor passing through the axis of the table as indicated at 54. Any other suitable type of windup may be used.

Within the tubular fabric is placed a frame structure 55 comprising vertically spaced horizontal spreading rings 56 supported by arms 51 from a plate member 58. The lower edge of plate member 58 is rounded as at 59 and rests on the fabric where the latter enters between rolls 5|. The fabric tube is thus drawn over the frame structure 55 which rotates with the fabric. Ring members 56 are of a diameter to stretch the fabric sufficiently to open the stitches of the fabric, to maintain the fabric as it passes over the frame between rings 55 in substantially the tensioned and opened condition previously described with regard to the stationary cylinder machine at the point where previously described discs l6 operate.

One or more printing units 68, only one of which is shown in Fig. 5 for the sake of clearness, are mounted on brackets 61 secured to a stationary part 62 of the machine frame by screws 63.

The printing unit is substantially the same as unit It and comprises a printing roll 64 and coordinating disc which may be identical with those previously described except that they are set to rotate in a plane tilted slightly from the horizontal so as to follow a linear series of stitches 5 comprising a spiral knitting course instead of a side of the reservoir.

vertical wale. The unit 56 includes a small color reservoir 68 supplied through a pipe 61 from a. supply tank not shown. The roll 64 and disc are secured on a shaft 58 journaled at 69 in the Color is applied to roll 64 in any suitable manner as by a felt transfer disc if! or the like secured to a shaft 1 I driven by the printing member or any suitable means, not shown, from some rotating element of the 1 machine.

the inside of the fabric and follow a vertical fabric wale and prevent any tendency of the fabric to creep or shift around the frame 55. Printing rolls could of course be associated with the discs 12 to print on the interior of the fabric if desired.

The coordinating disc 65 follows a spiral knitting course laid down by one of the several yarns or threads being fed to the knitting machine so that the turns of the spiral being followed are spaced an appreciable distance apart. For example, assuming a 32 feed machine, the turns of the spiral knitting course followed .by a given printing unit will be spaced 32 courses apart. One or more of these 32 intermediate courses may, of course, be printed upon by the printing rolls of other printing units as shown in Fi 6.

As previously described the printing rolls may be made wide enough to print on more than one knitting course and the printing surface of the roll may be broken to give any desired design pattern. Furthermore, by proper proportioning of the diameter of the printing roll, and its coordinating roll, to the diameter of the fabric tube at the point of printing, further variations in design may be secured. For example, assuming a dot design is being applied by the printing roll, the diameter of the printing roll may be made such that the dots applied to successive turns of the spiral course will fall in a vertical line beneath those of the preceding turn, or between them. By this means, using various forms of,

method. For example instead of the direct application of color by the printing members, the latter may apply a resist or discharge chemical which after the fabric has been subjected to a dyeing operation may be discharged or washed away to form a predetermined design area on which the discharge chemical had been applied.

It will also be understood that the printing surfaces of the printing rolls may be smooth or may be shaped to carry the color or other design forming material into the interstices of the fabric where the nature of the yarn or the viscosity of the color or other applied material requires.

By my invention a positive control of the rotary movement of the printing rolls is obtained regardless of variations in the cloth tension in the machine, loosening or tightening of the stitches as the machine changes speed, or spasmodic changes in the pull of the take up. Regardless of variations which ordinarily take place in the conditions of operation of the knitting machine the printing roll is held to a predetermined position relative to the stitches of the fabric, and cannot get out of time, slip or wander. With prior art printing devices the amount of defective cloth from these causes has been prohibitive, especially where discharge printing was employed and the defects appear only after the washing, in subsequent operations. By m invention defects from these causes are substantially done away with, or so minimized that a commercially practical operation is attained.

The overall design printed on the fabric is made up of a plurality of independently applied linear patterns each having a predetermined relation to a linear series of stitches. The linear pattern of each printing'member is accurately applied with relation to the linear series of stitches engaged by the toothed disc associated with the printing member, and since each printing member and its associated disc operates independently of the others slight deviations in the several units are not accumulative nor are they transmitted from one unit to the other. Inasmuch as the circular knit fabric is printed on while in tubular form complete continuity of design is obtained around the entire surface of the tube.

What I claim is:

1. In a, circular knitting machine having wind I up means to draw the tube of fabric under tension from the knitting instrumentalities, a pair of spaced spreading rings positioned within the tube of fabric between the knitting instrumentalities and the wind up and over which the fabric travels in tensioned ylindrical form, a rotary printing member mounted in printing engagement with the surface of the fabric between said rings, means to supply printing material to said printing member, a disc, a shaft common to said printing member and disc, and teeth formed on the periphery of said disc and engageable in a linear series of stitches of the fabric to rotate the printing member and maintain the application of printing material to the fabric by the printing member in a predetermined relation to the linear series of stitches engaged by said teeth.

2. In a circular knitting machine having a rotatable knitting cylinder and a rotatable wind up means to draw the tube of fabric under tension from the knitting cylinder, a frame including spaced spreading rings, positioned within the tube of fabric between the knitting cylinder and the wind up means and rotatable therewith, a revolving printing member mounted for printing engagement with the fabric as the latter passes over the space between the rings, means to supply printing material to said printing member, a revolving member having teeth engageable in a linear series of stitches of the fabric, and a driving connection from the revolving member to the printing member to drive the latter and maintain the application of printing material to the fabric by the printing member in a predetermined relation to the linear series of stitches engaged by the teeth of the revolving member.

3. In a circular knitting machine, a rotatable shaft positioned to one side of the path of the tube of fabric formed by the machine, a disc fixed on said shaft to rotate in a plane radial with respect to the axis of the tube, the periphery of said disc being provided with a plurality of teeth successively engageable in successive openings of a linear series of stitches, a printing member fixed to said shaft and spaced from said disc to engage a neighboring linear series of stitches, means to supply printing material to said member, and means to apply sufficient tension to the tube of fabric to maintain the teeth of said disc in engagement with the openings of a single linear series of stitches and impart constant rotation to said shaft and printing member and confine the application of printing material to the fabric by said member to said neighboring linear series of stitches.

4. In a circular knitting machine, a shaft rotatably mounted to one side of the path of the tube of fabric formed by the machine, a disc fixed on said shaft to rotate in a plane radial with respect to the axis of the tube, the periphery of said disc being provided with a plurality of contiguous generally triangular teeth successively engageable in successive openings of a linear series of stitches, a printing member fixed to said shaft and axially spaced from said disc to engage a neighboring linear series of stitches, the radius of the printing surface of said member being intermediate between the radius of the points and the radius of the bases of the teeth of the disc, means to supply printing material to the printing surface of said member, and means to apply sulficient tension to the tube of fabric to assure entrance of successive teeth of the disc into successive openings of a single linear series of stitches to a depth that will maintain the printing surface of the adjacent printing member in printing contact with said neighboring linear series of stitches and impart uniform rotation to said shaft.

SAMUEL SAF'ILAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 665,016 Kershaw Jan. 1, 1901 1,115,128 Swinglehurst Oct. 27, 1914 1,390,660 Weinerth Sept. 13, 1921 1,767,762 Jennings June 24, 1930 1,996,318 Bell Apr. 2, 1935 2,077,978 Anderson Apr. 20, 1937 2,388,648 Sheppard Nov. 6, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 120,387 Germany May 20, 1901 486,194 Great Britain May 31, 1938 

